CVE-2024-3228 in Kiwi Plugin
Summary
by MITRE • 07/09/2024
The Social Sharing Plugin – Kiwi plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Information Exposure in all versions up to, and including, 2.1.7 via the 'kiwi-nw-pinterest' class. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to view limited content from password protected posts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/10/2024
The vulnerability identified in CVE-2024-3228 affects the Social Sharing Plugin – Kiwi for WordPress, a widely used tool for integrating social media sharing functionality into wordpress websites. This particular flaw resides within the 'kiwi-nw-pinterest' class implementation and represents a critical information exposure issue that undermines the security controls designed to protect sensitive content. The vulnerability impacts all versions of the plugin up to and including version 2.1.7, indicating a long-standing flaw that has remained unaddressed in the plugin's codebase. The security implications are significant as this vulnerability directly compromises the confidentiality of content that should remain protected behind authentication barriers.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the improper handling of access controls within the plugin's pinterest sharing functionality. When users attempt to share content via pinterest, the plugin fails to properly verify user authentication status before exposing content to external requests. This flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to bypass the standard wordpress access control mechanisms that typically prevent viewing password-protected posts. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the kiwi-nw-pinterest class processes sharing requests, enabling attackers to retrieve content that should be restricted to authenticated users only. This represents a classic case of insufficient authorization checks and improper access control enforcement.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of wordpress websites that rely on password protection for sensitive content. Attackers can exploit this flaw to gain access to confidential information, private blog posts, or restricted content that was intended to be visible only to registered users or specific groups. The vulnerability affects any wordpress site using the affected plugin version, creating a substantial risk for businesses, organizations, or individuals who depend on content protection mechanisms. This exposure could lead to competitive intelligence theft, privacy violations, or the compromise of sensitive business information that was meant to remain confidential.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumerations such as CWE-200, which addresses information exposure, and CWE-284, which covers improper access control. The flaw also corresponds to attack techniques documented in the attack tree framework where adversaries leverage plugin vulnerabilities to achieve unauthorized access to protected resources. Organizations using this plugin should immediately implement mitigations including updating to the latest plugin version, reviewing access controls, and monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of thorough security testing for third-party plugins and the need for maintaining up-to-date software components to prevent exploitation of known security flaws.